When it comes down to it, the software that Trilogy made in the mid-to late-90s is secondary to the lasting impact the company made on the technology landscape in Austin and beyond. Trilogy flipped the script when it came to recruiting and hiring, and built a culture (or cult, depending on who you ask) the impact of which is still felt globally.
At SXSW Interactive, a panel of Trilogy alumni shared stories of their time at Trilogy and how building a cult-like culture helped the company curate a powerful network of technology and business superstars. The panel, “Trilogy: A Killer Network Can Transform Your Town,” brought together WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner, Square Root CEO Chris Taylor, Vast CEO John Price, and BP3 co-founder Scott Francis, all former “Trilogians.” The panel showcased Trilogy’s unorthodox recruiting practices and how it created an unparalleled level of cohesion among its employees; tactics that led to the creation of an impressive network that transformed the Austin business landscape and spawned companies like Bazaarvoice, Capital Factory, HomeAway, and many more.
A look at the Austin tech landscape and Trilogy’s influence.
Today, Trilogy alumni keep frequent contact through this impressive network; a who’s who in Austin tech known to some as the “Trilogy Mafia.” The trilogy network has built $5.8 billion in alumni-funded exits and IPOs, and 43 percent of former Trilogy employees identify as business owners.
It started with Trilogy’s simple recruiting objective: go after the smartest kids graduating from the best schools. “Hiring only the best,” Francis said.
At schools like M.I.T., Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and more, Trilogy’s recruiting team had an unlimited budget to entice the best students across the country and bring them to Austin. The formula? “Money. Recruiters. Beer. Repeat,” Price said. Trilogy grossly overpaid many just-out-of-college recruits to lure them to Austin.
But a bunch of new hires does not a team make. Trilogy’s goal was for the new hires to bond as if they were in the military, trusting one another with their lives during combat in a foxhole. One way of doing this was through having recruits share with each other their most significant emotional experience. From there, they created absolutely untouchable stretch goals that forced the new employees to rely on each other for success.
“If you ever study cults, this is how they do it,” Price said, adding, “This created the beginning of the network.”
Taylor recalled his first day at Trilogy. He arrived in Austin fresh from Carnegie Mellon University with all of his possession in tow. He had no apartment. Within an hour, he was on a flight to Las Vegas with his team. He said that his first day at Trilogy he pulled an all-nighter, it just happened to be at the craps table.
“You couldn’t have hand-chosen your friends better,” he said.
It didn’t take long before Trilogy’s recruiting model was on the cover of magazines, from traditional business pubs to Rolling Stone. It wasn’t about the software; it was about the unique culture they created and how they built it through unusual recruiting practices.
“Every person you hire has a chance to reinvent a little piece of your company,” Taylor said.
WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner and BP3 co-founder Scott Francis talk during the Trilogy panel at SXSW Interactive.
Brunner said she joined Trilogy roughly a decade into her career and immediately noticed that something special was happening.
“For me walking in it was a totally eye opening experience,” she said. “Trilogy was full of all of this amazing talent.”
Brunner said she was blown away by the idea that every employee was considered an entrepreneur and was allowed to take risks. Everyone had to know the business in and out, and was subjected to brutal T.O.P.S. (Trilogy operations reviews) where employees would present their ideas to Trilogy’s top executives. The T.O.P.S. reviews were so intense that people would often become physically sick from nerves before presenting.
This process, again, solidified the bond among employees, fueling the global alumni network where former Trilogians have each other’s backs.
“The thing that’s so awesome about this network is that it’s become this great support network,” Price said.
Brunner said the Trilogy network is an illustration of how small and interconnected the world can be. And the experience at Trilogy inspired many to go out and create something themselves. It ignited that creative spark.
“Iron is forged in fire,” she said, adding “Culture eats strategy for lunch … it’s all about people, culture, and values.”
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